§1.1 Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns methods, apparatus and data structures for providing live agent assistance. More specifically, the present invention concerns methods, apparatus and data structures for invoking and establishing an audio, video, and/or data (e.g., text message) “call” or “conference” between a live agent and a customer in response to some event which may occur while the customer is browsing content on a network, such as the Internet for example.
§1.2 Related Art
Below, methods for providing customer service, as well as perceived shortcomings of such methods, are introduced. More specifically, Internet-based customer service and its perceived shortcomings are introduced in §1.2.1 below. Then, a system in which customers can access live agents from kiosks and its perceived shortcomings are introduced in §1.2.2. The discussion of these systems in this section is not, and should not be interpreted as, an admission that such systems are prior art.
§1.2.1 Internet-Based Customer Service
The Internet has been successfully used to reduce the need for human customer service representative. That is, in many instances, customers can use the Internet to answer questions that they would otherwise present to a human customer service representative (also referred to as a “live agent”). However, the present inventors believe that in many instances, customers still would like to confer with (e.g., talk and/or see) a live agent. For example, a customer's uncertainty may prevent them from consummating an on-line transaction. In such instances, it would be helpful to have a live agent address any concerns the customer has so that the customer will feel comfortable in consummating (or will be able to consummate) the transaction. Although a customer may call a live agent, conferencing over the telephone with a live agent while viewing web pages may be inefficient. Further, in some instances, a single telephone line is used for both Internet access and telephone service. Thus, conferencing over the telephone with a live agent is not possible when viewing web pages under such circumstances. The present inventors also believe that it would be helpful to have a live agent suggest a purchase or a transaction to potential customers. Finally, the present inventors believe that it would be helpful for the live agent to have some customer information up-front, at or shortly after the start of the conference, so the customer does not have to provide the live agent with information already provided over the Internet (for example, via forms) or available from another source. As will be demonstrated in the following, the present invention may be used to achieve these advantages of providing a live agent to assist customers.
§1.2.2 Kiosk System
Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/151,793, entitled “Interactive Multimedia System for Use with Kiosks and Internet Based Customers”, and filed on Aug. 31, 1999, discloses a multimedia call center (or “MCC”) in which live agents can assist customer end users at kiosk stations. It is expected that such kiosks will be located in areas open to the public, and preferably areas with high traffic such as airports, malls, grocery stores, train stations, bus terminals, etc. In such a system, a live agent can help a customer or potential customer complete a transaction. However, the present inventors believe that in addition to providing live agents to customers at kiosks, it would be helpful to permit live agents to assist customers at any terminal, such as a home computer connected to the Internet for example.